Forging Forgotten Memories
by blackveins
Summary: I was not born with raven black hair. Nor did I have eyes matching the shadows I dwell in. I came into this world with hair white as the tail of a comet, and eyes as grey as the winter sky. Even my hooked nose did not come until much later. This is my story, for I am the Half-blood Prince.
1. My Name Is

"Please mama, please! I don't want to sleep in the basement again! Its cold, and there are rats!" A young Severus Snape cried, his head getting wrenched sideways by the young potions master holding his hair. "I should have drown you when you were too small for anyone to care. If the basement isn't good enough for you, you can sleep outside." The woman dragged him to the door by his black hair, and threw him down on the unmaintained lawn. "No! Mommy please! I'll be good I sware!" Severus cried out, only to be greeted by his mother throwing a shoe at his head as though she was silencing a neighborhood cat.

Severus cried and sobbed in a heap on the ground until the door slammed shut and locked. The moment he hears the tell tale click of the lock sliding into place, Severus ceased his useless sobbing, stood up and dusted himself off. He hated acting so childish, but it the hag knew how much better being outside was, she would never let him out the door again. The basement was actually his favorite place in the house, but if she knew that... that door would be locked forever as well.

It didn't take much to send the witch into a raging fury. Sometimes he would happen to leave a little mud on his torn shoes when he came inside, or drop a toy and 'forget' to pick it back up. Most of the things he had stumbled upon by accident, but he had been sure to remember them. His outbursts of insubordinate actions needed to seem unplanned or unintentional.

The really defiant actions on the other hand, needed to seem physically impossible for him to have done. Like when he slipped the dog a stomach turning plant he had found so that it threw up in the livingroom? Mummy could never say he had made the dog vomit on her most beloved rug, and he had been 'out' for hours when it had happened. Actually he had been waiting outside just out of the windows view playing with a flower the whole time. He didn't want to be far away if the dog had accidentally been overdosed.

He would never admit it, but secretly he loved that dog. Not because he was fond of animals, but for all the times the dog had helped him out. It started one day when he had tripped and broken one of his mothers lamps. He stood by the mess to wait for his mother to follow the sound and give him the beating he deserved for it (Should have watched his footing better). But then the dog came and sat by him. It looked at the broken lamp, and then at him... and they both waited for mother.

It was never good to be far from a mistake. If mother found the lamp without him, she would have time to actually get angry. Severus would rather be hit and thrown in the basement than to have her decide to revoke one of the books he had rented from the library. If she threw him in the basement, he could read the book. Three quarters of an hour passed before mother bothered to come to the crashing sound, but when she did she was livid.

Severus braced himself for the coming blow, hoping it would be a shoulder one and not the face. But before she had fully raised her hand the dog let out a loud yapping whine. Both Severus and mother looked down at the dog to find it cowering position, its nose to the lamp and its sad eyes on mother. "He did this?!" The witch asked in outrage, and Severus nodded dumbly staring at the dog. The dog had been on the other side of the room at the time...

The lamp must have been very important because the dog was hit numerous times and shrieked at for several minutes. Severus stared at them dumbfounded, and the dog looked back at him with eyes that said "This is for you..."... They were thrown in the cellar together, but Severus was given an extra lump of potatoes for keeping the dog by the mess for its punishment. Severus offered the potatoes to the dog, but dog turned them down, choosing instead to rest his head on Severus' knee when he sad down.

"Thank you dog." Severus said quietly, and dog twitched in reply. Since then Severus and dog had been partners in crime, causing mischief wherever they went. Dog would never stay for punishment when Severus wasn't there, so he didn't need to worry about protecting dog. If that happened, it would leave mother primed for punishment, but with nothing to hit. She would scream and rage... and finally go out to buy something to make herself feel better.

She got a substantial amount of money from Severus' father, but all of it seemed to disappear pretty quickly. Severus would bait her with dog so that she would use at least some of the money to buy fresh potions supplies. It was a pretty good system, and mother would never hit dog if he could stay away for more than a day. She figured dog wouldn't remember what he had done wrong. Severus knew better.

On the day with the vomit soaked rug Severus had needed jellied newt eggs, which he had gotten an ample supply of for the incident. Mother would just grab the shopping list and buy whatever was on it without thought when she was mad. Severus could mimic her writing well enough that she had usually thrown the list out before it dawned on her that she didn't remember writing some of the items. It didn't bother her that Severus used her supplies either.

He had read her books and become proficient and brewing, and usually he was the one to keep the potions shop they ran running. She called it earning his keep. He called it practice. The brewing cauldron was in the basement and Severus was expected to do something useful with it when he was locked down there. Eventually, the cauldron was his second friend.

Severus, dog and cauldron, together they were a perfect trio. Severus, the mastermind behind the brews. Cauldron the careful creator of many a mix. And dog, the most clever animal in the world. Today specifically Severus had come up with a very precise plot. He needed out of the house to see the girl with the red hair. He had seen her a few weeks ago, playing by the pond between their houses... but he had not seen her since. She had only just moved in.

With the help of cauldron Severus had mixed up two potions. One that would erase a persons short term memory, and one that would temporarily glue mud to whatever it touched. He let dog play in mud mixed with the sticky potion, and then sent him inside to run about. Four toed paw prints were everywhere, the work was clearly dogs. Mother had thrown Severus out as well, because every time he tried to move in the house the only spread further.

As a last resort, she was going to toss him in the basement to clean... and then outside because of his cries. Now he was outside with a potion that would erase their encounter if Severus bombed the first conversation. Or if anything else went wrong. If everything went right, Severus would give the potion to mother later and he had another powder in storage to clean the mess up as fast as it was spreading now. He had a little of the powder in his pocket now for dog.

Currently the black haired boy shuffled to the other side of the lake to investigate where the girl had been playing, dog at his side still dripping with mud. When Severus got to the place the girl had been standing at he turned a slow circle. From that place he could see in the glass doors on the back of the girls house, and he could see across the lake to his house. He had closed all of the curtains on the side of his house he was facing so that mother wouldn't see him out the window.

It was a nice day, so Severus sat down facing the lake to wait. He figured it would be weird if she found him watching her house. Not half an hour passed before the little girl walked by the glass and saw him sitting in the grassy place. With a tug on her mothers apron and a "Pretty pretty pleeease, its so pretty out there today!" she was outside venturing over to him cautiously. About ten paces back the red haired girl folded her arms across her chest and asked "What are you doing here." In a defiant tone.

Severus leapt to his feet and spun around, suddenly worried that the memory potion would be well needed. "I... uh... umm..." It was very unlike him to stutter, but her hair took him aback. He had never seen a color like that on a persons head, and up close it was far more radiant than it had been out the window. Her green eyes looked to be glowing as they looked into his soul. "Do ya need sumthin?" She asked, her voice a little softer, but her arms still solidly folded over the yellow flower on her purple shirt.

"I just... I just wanted to say hi..." Severus stuttered, looking away from her confidant green eyes. He fiddled with the potion, wondering how he would get her to drink it... There was no possible way she would be happy she was here. Most other kids ran away from him, and that was the nice ones. His brain fumbled for an answer as to why this had ever seemed like a good idea, but it couldn't find one. Severus looked ad dog with a silent plea for help.

Dog's mouth popped open and he began panting, his mouth a wide happy grin. Dog's tail even began wagging like he was trilled to be breathing muggy lake air. This was very unusual for dog. Dog never panted, and when hi did wag his tail, it was no more than three times. Dog's strange actions confused Severus further, and he tilted his head in confusion. "Ooooh a puppy!" The red haired girl ran to dog, and in seconds dog's head was being rubbed around in her very small hands.

There was no proper word for the confusion Severus was feeling at that moment, but he suddenly burst into their introductions with "Wait! He's dirty!" The little girl looked down to find mud slimmed up her arms without her noticing. "How did it..." she began, but Severus had pulled out the cleaning powder and sprinkled it on her hands and arms as well as on dog. "... Forgot to clean him." Severus mumbled as the powder made every trace of grime vanish.

The red haired girl stared at her hands in amazement, her mouth hanging open like dog's had been. "Do it again!" She shouted, holding her arms out to him expectantly. He stared at her hands and then with a desperate search for words said "I cant... I'm out of that potion.. but... but I can do this!" He reached into his cloak and pulled out a little vial he always liked to keep on hand. It was a silly potion with a long name, but it was easy to make and it always made him smile on bad days. He liked to call it bloom.

The girl stared at him, green eyes hungry to see what the vial would do. He carefully poured one drop on the ground, and the two waited... but instead of growing daises like it usually did, it sprouted one tall long stemmed pink lily. Both children gasped and stared at the flower. "How did you do that?" The red haired girl breathed. "Well... Its a potion that's suppose to grow the favorite flower of the person that was pouring it." Severus said, eyeing the flower warily, maybe the potion had gotten to warm in his pocket and was acting strange.

"Not that..." The red haired girl began. "My name is Lily." She whispered, finally turning the green eyes back to his soul. There was no way she was only looking at his eyes. The girl... Lily... Stood up abruptly to face him, crossed her arms and said "That settle's it, your my best friend. What was your name again?" A deep red blush curled into Severus' cheeks... No one had ever called him friend before...


	2. Little Bird

"So Sev." Lily plopped down in the grass to admire her namesake flower. "How'd ya do it?" Lily asked, not bothering to look at him. Severus stared ad her, and slowly lowered himself to the ground beside her. "Magic I guess..." He muttered, not sure what was confusing about it. He had found the brew in a book when he was six and had figured out how to make it by seven.

He was ten now, and it didn't seem strange or new anymore. Well, it was strange now. Severus had a feeling the vial would never again sprout a daisy for him. He was alright with that. He was also alright with this girl calling him 'Sev'. She was the only person to ever call him that, and he liked it.

The bloom potion had been especially nice when his muggle dad appeared on television, and mum's drinking got worse. He could grow a patch of daisies and sleep through her destructive rages. By the time he awoke she usually had reparo'd everything that had broken and would be sitting at the table pretending nothing was wrong.

Severus hated being around when mum was reminded of his father. She would scream things about him being filth, dirty blooded, and a mudblood. But that wasn't half as bad as when she would start crying and telling him how she had never wanted a baby in the first place and that someone she knew had hoped that the dark lord would be pleased if she had a child of influence from the muggle world.

She would go on to say how stupid and childish a thought that had been, and once said that she had been banished for it. Severus had later looked up the word banished, but couldn't figure out what she had been banished from. Whatever it was, Severus knew his mother had lost something important to her by having him.

She had used a glamour on him for years to make him look more like her and less like his father, but eventually she got tired of casting it. To avoid the rage she flew into when she saw white hair, Severus had brewed up a potion that would change his hair and eye color permanently. At least, it had yet to show its self temporary.

He liked the black hair... but in the potion he had added to muck newt oil and it had left his hair with a greasy shine no matter how he washed it. It was weird... but it seemed perfect for him. After the potion he looked in the mirror and finally felt like he was looking at a face he could recognize as himself for the rest of his life.

All those rantings, and the permanent glamour had given Severus an idea. He may be a half blood, but to himself... he would be the Half Blood Prince. To him, his father would be a king in a distant land and Severus would be protecting the family line by staying hidden. He would make up valiant wars for father, and tell dog all about them. Like that father had only missed his birthday because he was fighting ogres in Sweden.

Lily stirred him out of his thoughts by saying "You can do magic?!" Apparently she had been staring open mouthed at the flower this whole time. Severus had not noticed. "Yeah... Can you not?" Severus furrowed his brow and stared at her, mum would be very angry if his new best friend was a muggle. "I can...-" Lily started, and she hesitated. Severus waited, and then prompted her when she began fiddling with grass. "But?" He tilted his head to try to catch her eye again.

Severus hated people looking at him, but if everyone had huge green eyes that seemed to sing about fields every time the sun glinted off of them... Well, if everyone had eyes like that he wouldn't mind people staring at him very much at all. Lily blurted out the next sentence as though she were afraid of it. "But I'm the only one! My family can't do ANY of the things I can do!" Severus waited to see if there was more, but there was not.

"They are probably muggles." Severus stated matter-of-factly. "Whats a muggle?" Lily looked close to tears as she thought about people knowing she was different. "They are people that can't do magic like you and me." Severus said, trying to smile. He hadn't smiled in a very long time, but the upturn at the corner of his mouth made her face shine regardless. "Can you do other magic?!" Her smile seemed as though it would eat up her face if she didn't stop soon.

Severus came up with a quick idea and pulling a bit op paper out of his pocket he said "I can do this!" The paper had been pre-folded into a paper crane and enchanted to fly when blown on. The crane had been given to him by an old man with a long white beard and twinkling blue eyes when he was shopping with his mum in Diagonally a few years back. He kept the bird right by the bloom vial in case of bad days. Severus blew on the little birds tail and its wings gave a shudder.

Soon Lily's eyes were glittering as the little bird flapped and soared around their heads doing flips and turns like a playful fish underwater. "You... are amazing." Lily breathed, here eyes locked on the bird. A huge unfamiliar smile split its way across Severus' face until his cheeks hurt, and he vowed right then that he would do ANYTHING to keep amazing the red haired girl.


	3. Secret Mirror

Within days it had become a game to find new ways of amazing Lily, he spent hours researching any potion that would be better than the last. First it was the bloom vial, then a potion that turned his hair green for three hours, next he gave something to dog that made his hair curl like lambs wool. Every day became an adventure to learn something new to show her. With every new wonder he brought Lily's eyes would glow brighter. To Severus it was like watching the grassy fields in her eyes burn.

Today he had managed to mix together a brew that when poured on a mirror would show the looker secrets that lay hidden. He wasn't sure what kind of secrets... but it seemed magical. It had been peculiarly hard to make, but easier to get his mother to give him a beautiful hand held silver mirror. He had gone to his mothers chest of 'things she never wants to remember' and pulled out the mirror. His mother had given him one glance from her seat behind the ever present bottle and said "Get that thing out of my house you filth. I never want to see it again." It was actually her way of nicely saying 'you can have that if you want it.'... Or at least the closest she would ever come.

Severus took the mirror and the potion to the grassy spot where Lily would come out the join him. The potion as glowing a proper shade of opalescent white, as it should be six hours after brewing. It would be good to use for at least another six hours. Severus sat down in the grass to admire the pale swirling in his bottle while he waited for her. Lily would come out of the house in about fifteen minutes, give or take. She had school until 1:30pm and her mother kept her in for snack and homework until 3pm. After she finished her homework she was allowed out to play until 7pm and then she would return inside for dinner and bed.

Severus didn't really know what that was like. In the wizarding world it was most common to keep your child at home and teach them what you knew about magic, and send them to Hogwarts when they were of age. His mother as suppose to be daily training him in potions mastery, but after she taught him how to read she had become to sad to work with potions. It was all right though, because as soon as he could read... he could brew.

About an hour had passed before Lily finally trudged out of her house, her head hung low. Severus had been content to sit quietly watching his new potion move, not noticing the passing time. It wasn't until he saw the sorrow, unfamiliar on her ever cheerful face that he began to wonder what had happened in the missing time. "What-... Whats wrong Lily?" Severus started,climbing to his feet. "What's happened?" Lily threw herself to the ground and Severus knelt beside her and somehow he ended up with her crying on his shoulder.

No one had ever cried on his shoulder before, and he was stiff and ridged. He hoped this would't bother her. It didn't seem to and she cried into the old matted cloth on his shoulder until her tears ran dry. He petted her hair in a way that seemed soothing, like he had once seen a mother do to a child that had fallen hen his mother was still well enough to take him out of the house. He had not gone anywhere but Diagonally in over two years, as mother had gotten sadder and angrier with the world. Severus didn't want to be like mother, he wanted to be like that other child's mother. Warm... Caring.

His hands were cold and stiff, but Lily didn't move away from his shoulder. "What happened?" Severus asked in an attempt to coo. He winced at his own voice. In actuality he sounded furious and like he was seconds away from hexing whomever had made his Lily cry. His mind was churning with every potion he had ever read that had hinted causing pain... When Lily spoke.

"Its my sissy... Petunia..." She sobbed softly. Severus stared blankly at the top of her head on his shoulder. Lily had a sister? Severus blinked in surprise, then his eyes flashed a dangerous look at the house Lily had come out of. Petunia would regret making Lily cry.

Lily gave a melancholy sigh and as though she could read Severus' thoughts she said "Don't be to mad at her... She doesn't have magic like we do. I don't know if she's jealous, or if it just freaks her out... but its not her fault." Lily took another breath. "I know you probably brought something really awesome for me today... but can we just sit in the grass? I think being by you makes me feel better." Lily had said 'sit', but now lay down in the soft green tendrils that were surrounding them.

Severus lay next to her and inhaled the smell of sweet grass and lily flowers. He smiled at the thought that Lily just wanted to be around him... He had been very worried that one day his potions would bore her. It was good to know that wasn't the only reason she liked him. A conversation started when Lily pointed to a passing bird and named it a crane, and after another hour their talk leapt into a lively flow. So lively that when a call to come inside echoed from Lily's house they were both shocked to see how fast time had passed.

Severus looked absolutely depressed when they heard the sound, and lowered his head to stalk back to his own house. Lily caught his arm. "Hey Sev... I think she'd want to know in advance... but you want me to ask mum if you could stay for dinner tomorrow? I don't think she'd mind." Lily smiled, it looked for a second like she thought he would say no.

A huge smile split open his face and he nodded vigorously. "Yeah, tha'd be great!" Severus said, he had been growing more accustom to smiling. With that they hugged, and Lily kept waving at him all the way to her house. Severus shoved his hands in his pockets and whistled as he walked home. Or at least blew air through his lips. He was still trying to teach himself how to whistle properly.

In his pockets he felt the mirror and the bottle of potion. In surprise he pulled the two out of his pocket. He only had an hour or two left to use the potion, and it had been an expensive and difficult one. He looked around for frantic for water and rolled his eyes when he remembered he was walking beside a lake.

The proper way to treat the mirror with the potion was to submerge the mirror in water and pour the potion onto it. The potion would crystallize if he poured it on a dry mirror. Carefully he folded back the sleeves of his over sized black cloak and stuck the hand with the mirror in it under the water. He uncorked the bottle with his teeth and carefully poured the liquid into the water and onto the mirror.

The thick opalescent liquid moved like a slow gel, and white sparks sizzled under the water when it hit the glass. White spread from the pearly liquid under the glass... The recipe for the potion had not mentioned the black that crawled in from the silver edges of the mirror. The white and black almost seemed to fight with each other until they began twisting together into spirals.

The spirals convulsed and tightened until there was no longer black or white... There wasn't even gray. It was simply magic. What Severus had known, was that the potion when forged onto a mirror with water would create a glass that could see a persons secrets. What he didn't know... was that the mirror he had chosen was an enchanted one, enchanted to show the wielder memories.


	4. Forgotten Memory Mirror

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A normal secret mirror is incline to show the user where they have hidden their favorite necklace, or perhaps the face of their love interest. A normal memory mirror would have shown the holder the past memory of their choosing. Such as details of a past adventure. A memory mirror is a much weaker version of a pensive, as it only reflects memories and does not replay or store them.

The wonder that had been created today was better known as a forgotten memory mirror. The mirrors face would seek out the deepest most hidden memory the wielder had... The memory they most wanted to keep hidden. And it would reflect it back to them. If you held a mirror like that right now... What memory do you think it would it show you?

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()


	5. Snow White

Severus watched as the opalescent gel flooded to the edges of the mirror in slow motion, covering up the magical glow of the glass. When the potion touched the corners of the mirror where silver met glass, the gel melted into the cracks hidden by the silver. Soon the whole mirror was a smooth, swirling, opalescent hue. Severus slowly pulled the mirror out of the water, turning it at different angles to let the last of the water droplets roll off. As soon as it was dried by the air the mirror flashed with a brilliant white light, like a wand casting a powerful lumos directly into his face.

He was lucky he didn't drop the mirror into the water when in blasted his face with light. Instead his hand clenched tighter, his eyes painfully locked on the center of the brightness. White spider webbing wound its way out of the mess of light, veins of peace in the painful light. The calm grew and spread, branching in every direction until the light was completely swallowed up. Severus' eyes had to readjust to hat now seemed like a dark world before he could finally see the mirror.

The mirror reflected the face of another child and Severus stared blankly at it. He didn't recognize the boy. White flowing hair spilled from the other boys crown, and grey mournful eyes stared back at Severus. The other boy looked so sad... What could have made the boy so sad? Severus tilted his head, and the boys head tilted. He stuck his tongue out and the other boys tongue stuck out. He touched his nose with his finger and the other boy raised an incredulous eyebrow.

Severus jumped sharply, almost dropping the mirror again. The other boy threw his hands to the glass in panic, his face looked terrified that he was going to be smashed. The other boys mouth moved silently, the boy was speaking but no sound came out. Severus furrowed his eyebrows at the mirror and the other boy threw up his hand in a frustrated gesture. The boy in the mirror paced in and out of view ranting silently to himself. Severus watched him for a few minutes, but the sun was going down and soon he would have a hard time finding his way in the darkness.

Severus put the boy in the mirror in his pocket and shuffled home, barely keeping his cloak out of the mud. When he got home mother had not made dinner, so he tossed some things in a pot and turned it on to simmer. He wasn't much of a cook, but when it came to soup... Well. He could make soup do anything he wanted it to. He could make beef stew taste like a cinnamon roll without adding any sugar if he wanted. Perhaps it had something to do with the thousands of hours he had already spent with his good friend cauldron.

He ventured upstairs for a quick shower before bed, and came down just in time to turn don the stove. Today it was chicken in lemon broth. One of his personal favorites. The lemon broth was only a touch sour, and it had a rich buttery feel. Together it tasted much like a roast chicken breast, sauteed in butter doused with lemon juice. He pulled the stew off the stove and ladled out two bowls. He put a pinch of salt in his own, and a pinch of pepper in mothers.

He took the soup into the living room and cleared his throat to get her attention. Mother sat up from the drunken sprawl she had landed in and sheepishly took the bowl from him. She took a few bites and nodded in appreciation at the taste. Mother seemed to be in a much better mood than usual. This was the best time to ask, he guessed. "Mother..." He started. She stopped eating and waited, not looking at him. "May I go to a friends house for dinner tomorrow?" Severus blurted out, the words tumbling over one another.

She took another bite and seemed to contemplate his request, still not looking away from her bowl. "You have friends?" She asked, her throat was dry and it made her voice husky. As soon as they were done talking he would be sure to fetch her a glass of water. Severus wan't sure if she was joking or not, and she usually wasn't,so he answered seriously. "I do have one. Only one though." He said, trying to make his lack of friends seem reassuring.

Eventually she slowly nodded her consent. "Don't see why not." She sighed to her soup. Severus smiled. It was very strange to actually smile inside the house. "What did you do with that memory mirror?" She asked in a halting voice. Severus thought of a number of ways to answer, but dishonesty seemed nonsensical in the current situation. "I made a potion to turn it into a secret mirror. I didn't know it was a memory mirror." Severus replied in a pensive tone. That explains the strange boy in the mirror. A normal secret mirror shouldn't have done that.

Mother gave a short laugh, still looking at her soup. "That's a hard one. Did it work?" She asked. Dinner had always been the time everything was ok. The only time. "It did. I didn't know it as a memory mirror though." Severus said, taking a bite of soup as he thought. "Then I'll bet the greeting of a hidden memory mirror was surprising." Mother actually laughed. Severus stared at her with wide eyes, but it wasn't surprising that she knew what he had made. A secret mirror should have let off a faint glow, and then solidified. If it as made poorly the edges of the mirror would stay permanently fogged up.

"What was that anyway?" Severus asked, trying to draw out his soup longer. Mother thought for a minute and replied "You know the story of Snow White?" She asked. Severus nodded, there was an old history book downstairs and he had read it once or twice. The story of Snow White had been one of the more interesting. "Well... How do you think the face of a man got into her mirror?" Mother asked, Severus waited for her to answer her own question. It was true that in the story there was a face that responded when the evil queen asked ho the fairest of them all was. "It was the face of the mirror maker." Mother stated looking at him for the first time that day.


	6. Daddy Dearest

"When a complex magic mirror like that is made, it captures the face of its creator to use as its own." Severus nodded dumbly as his mother spoke. Finally he asked the question burning in his mind. "But mother-" She inturrupted him "No proper sentence begins with 'but'." Severus cleared his throat and began again. "Mother, why did the mirror not show a reflection of my own face?" His throat caught on the last word and his voice cracked. The witch glared at him "You know very well that it did." The venom in her words stung. Its true. The mirror captured what he really looked like... Under the layers of potions and spells.

Severus opened and shut his mouth a few times until he had decided how to ask his next question. "How do I... I mean... Why is it silent?" His mother blinked in surprise, and then laughed at his question. Severus looked down in embarrassment. It had not seemed like a silly question before he asked it. "Because my boy, you have yet to name it." Severus looked at her. She had not been laughing at him, she was actually amused. Not to mention this was the first time she had called him 'my boy' since she had stopped giving him lessons.

Mother cleared her throat. "Remember the Snow White story?" She asked. Severus nodded, and wasn't sure where the next question he asked had come from. "What was that mirrors name? They never said it in the story." Mother put a hand over her mouth to keep the laughter in. Severus had not seen mother this happy in years... What had caused it? "They said the name of the mirror every time they spoke to it. You see, you must speak a mirrors name to open its mouth. That is why your mirror can not speak."

Severus stared at his mother with a look of confusion and she reveled in it before continuing. "The mirror maker had been forced to make the mirror for the queen. She asked him to make her a mirror that would answer the question 'Who is the fairest of them all?' and as a jest against her named the mirror 'Mirror, mirror on the wall.' so that she would sound like a fool when she addressed it. Its one of those jokes that tends to go over the hears of children. I mean really, could you imagine a mirror named 'Mirror-mirror-on-the-wall'." Mother now sounded as though she were laughing over a cup of tea with a friend and Severus was becoming unnerved by it. It was nice... but bode ill.

"Do not forget to name your mirror before sunrise, else it will crack... Severus I-" Suddenly tears were in his mothers eyes as she spoke. "I have not been a good mother." She said, looking out the window in shame. Severus opened his mouth to disagree, but shut it again. What could he say? "Every day it hurts me more. Just the thought of it. I had hoped that you would be like me in SOME way.. but-" Severus couldn't seem to catch her meaning. "But I do look like you mother. My hair and eyes are black, my skin the same shade as yours..." Severus scrambled for comforting words.

"That's not what I mean. Your a wizard." His mother said the last sentence as though it were some revelation. Severus nodded slowly, waiting for her to continue. When she did not he responded. "As are you mother, a witch I mean. It was father who was-" She held up a hand to stop him. Both bowls of soup long forgotten. "It was not." Severus was dumbfounded. Did that mean he was a full wizard? "You are a half blood, but your father was a pure blood." Severus wrinkled his nose at her statement. She had a strange and baffling way of doing math.

"I am a muggle." Her words were like a blow to the stomach. No, more than that. Her words were impossible. "Mother I've seen you-" Severus was cut off by his mother. "You've seen me what? Brew? I can do nothing more than mix together things of magic! I am not a witch." He couldn't seem to make sense of what his mother was saying. "What about the broken-" He couldn't bring himself to say a single one of the many things that had broken. Even earlier today she had smashed a decorative pot when the dishes had not been done.

Mother gave a long sigh. "I have never wanted to tell you this. But you will be going to school next year, and you will find out. I have no magical ability. I was born from non-magical parents. Your grandparents on your fathers side found me an orphan when the Dark Lord caused the accident that killed my parents. The attack had been on mudbloods and they smuggled me into safety, knowing it could mean their deaths if it was found out. They raised me a recluse, teaching me potions and assuming I was a late bloomer when it came to wand casting magic. As many mudbloods are." Mothers voice caught and Severus retrieved her a glass of water so she could continue. He was riveted by her story.

After a few small gulps, she could speak again. Tears cascading down her cheeks. "I took to potions quickly, and it seemed to be a natural ability. I was raised along side your father, but he hated me. He hated how much his parents loved me. Shortly before he turned eleven a wizard showed up with a letter, inviting him to Hogwarts... but no one ever came for me. At first they assumed I was younger than I had told them as a child. A four year old claiming to be five was a reasonable guess. But he never came... He never..."


	7. Expect the Unexpected

"When my-... Your father's parents found out I was a mere muggle, they were livid. Your father's father was ready to kill me on the spot. But mother- your fathers mother, would not let him. She decided they would tell anyone who asked that they had chosen to home teach me. They would tell people I was slow in the head, and that I would not have been able to handle Hogwarts. It was better than being thrown on the streets or killed, so I did not complain. When guests visited, I made a game of acting slow in the head." Mother sipped her water again.

"When I was of age, your father's father would have no more of me. Mother- your father's mother, had trained me well in potions so I easily opened a little shop in Nocturnally. Many people there had already been buying my potions for years from mothers house. I was a well known potions master before your father finished his schooling at Hogwarts. When he completed his schooling he came back for me. He told me about the Dark Lord and offered to try to get me in among his followers." Her lip quivered, but she continued speaking.

"I barely made it in, keeping pretending that my handicap was the only reason I couldn't cast properly. but the movement badly needed a potions master. I was grudgingly accepted into their ranks and usually treated more like a pet. For what I was though, it was better than I ever could have dreamed. Until-... Until..." It looked hard on his mother to continue speaking. Severus set water on to boil for tea, and thanks to the enchanted stove it was steeping in her shaking hands seconds later.

Mother cleared her throat and pressed on. "Until another witch questioned my magical ability. My heritage. The witch came by the name Walburga. A name I could never forget after that... That woman stole my life. She later married that nice Orion Black boy. I believe they had children later. Maybe you'll attend school with some of them." Her eyes seemed to glass over slightly as she was pulled into some happier memories, and Severus waited for her to return.

Mother shook her head to clear her thoughts and it took her a moment to backtrack to the story she had been telling. "Once the question of my blood was brought in, everything became a blur. One of my friends suggested a child to prove my blood, others suggested a spell. Your father had grown fond of me and managed to convince them that the spell would be of no use because of my slowness. It was agreed that if I had a magical child with a muggle that I would be considered a witch." Mother's hands were trembling and it seemed difficult for her to hold onto her tea.

"We found a muggle suited to the task... And... Well its hard to explain..." Severus' mother was turning a touch ping and playing with the handle of her cup. "I'll tell you a more detailed story when your older, but all you need to know now is that the muggle was exterminated and your father became your father. Your father then convinced the rest of the Dark Lords followers that the muggle had been destroyed in an act of pesticide." Mother sounded almost proud of father.

Her look suddenly became serious again. "He never told them that it was to cover the true nature of your identity. If they ever found out you would be in great danger. Even now, no one must EVER find out that your father was not that muggle. Half-bloods the Dark Lord will tolerate, muggles like me would be killed on the spot if he knew." Her serious features softened again, now looking ashamed. "The reason I've concealed your looks so was to keep people from knowing who your real father was. The lot of us would be killed for treason if it got out."

"You creating that mirror only brings to light ho careful you must be. Tell them its ancient, and that it was a gift. I will convince a store in Nocturn Ally to claim it if there are ever questions." She said this as though his life depended on it. Well... His life did depend on it. "You look exactly like your father, and there's no mistaking it." She put her hand to her forehead in worry and was silent for a moment. "When you didn't manifest magic I became so worried. Worried that you had inherited my great lack of magic. Worried that you would be like him in every way, except wizarding.

"You would only ever go near potions. I was positive that you were making up for your lack the way I had." A smile pricked at the edges of her mouth now and Severus listened intently, unsure why she was smiling. "Do you know why I'm telling you this?" She asked him, and Severus shook his head. He had no idea. "I had until you turned eleven. I've never celebrated your birthday because every year I wanted it to come later. Severus..." Her voice hung in the air and Severus was perched on the edge of his seat waiting for what she would say next.

"He came!" She announced. "Today a wizard came to tell me you were accepted to Hogwarts! Happy Birthday my boy!" She threw up her arms and Severus' jaw dropped open. This was the strangest tale he had ever heard in his life-... Birthday? "Today is my birthday?" He asked. He had never had a birthday before. "It is!" She beamed "Tomorrow we will get you cake and a gift, and neither of us will die." Mother seemed as surprised as he was at how that sentence ended. But it was his birthday. His first birthday ever.


	8. Fade to Black

Severus stared at his mother as the new information settled into his brain. Everything was so unbelievable, it seemed near impossible to sort out. Only one thought made its self clear enough to say. "Then... How do you fix things?" The question was the most unanswered in the swirl of an answer. Mother smiled as though she had expected it. It wasn't remotely uncommon for a lamp, a chair, a dish, or something else to be broken in one of his mother's rages.

In answer she picked up her empty soup bowl and held it up high. Then she let go. Severus watched it fall and smash on the floor. In his opinion it had been an unattractive and thin china bowl, but it was undeserving of being smashed. "Wave your hand over it." Mother said, gesturing at the broken bowl.

Severus looked at the shards of ceramic, and then at his mother. "But I do not know the spell..." He began, unsure of hat incantation to say. He was far better with potions. "I did not say repair it, I said wave your hand over it." Mother said sweetly, but in a firm tone. Severus did as he was told and to his astonishment the pieces of bowl flung themselves back together.

She smiled at his shocked look. "You see, everything in this house has been enchanted to seem as though the user is magical. How could I claim to be a pure blood witch and not be able to fix a bowl? When tapped on the end our spoons stir tea by themselves, and if you twist the handle even the brooms will sweep the floor on their own. All of this was set up by your father to keep us safe if anyone ever came looking around." Mother's smile was strangely calm.

Suddenly she seemed to have reached her limit for talking. "Goodnight, have a nice birthday dinner at your friends tomorrow." With that she stood and wandered to bed. The only sensible answer was that mother had finally lost her mind. Nothing else would make sense. Severus had almost convinced himself that this had all been one of her alcohol induced rantings when he noticed a strange letter on the table with his name on it.

It was his invitation to Hogwarts. Everything mother said had been true. He felt almost numb with the overwhelming flood of emotions he was ignoring. Instead of caving to the madness of the evening, he rose from his chair and went to the basement. The basement, where this could all seem more like a strange dream. As he moved down the familiar steps, cold metal brushed his fingertips in his pocket. The mirror!

Severus hastily ran down the stairs and pulled the mirror from his robes. The person in the mirror looked disheveled and irritable. He was pacing and gave Severus an expectant look. Severus took in a breath, fully prepared to say 'I name you Mirror!' when the boy waved his hands in warning and shook his head. "Can you read my thoughts?" Severus asked, taken aback. The blond boy nodded and seemed to think for a moment.

With a look of pleasant surprise the boy put his hand to the glass that separated then and began drawing symbols. He seemed to draw a pattern, then stop. Pause, and repeat the pattern. Severus watched him go through the run a number of times before he got the idea to copy the mirror's writing with his own hand. The boy was writing 'My name is Lethe.' Severus stared at his own writing. "That's your name?" He asked. The boy nodded his head in delight.

He shrugged his shoulders and in the most serious way possible he held the mirror up and proclaimed "I name you Lethe." The mirror flashed bright white again, and a strange melody could be heard... A melody that Severus swore he had heard some where before. It slipped away before he could fully recall it. "Thank you, my master!" The boy in the mirror said overflowing with gratitude. Severus blinked. Master? He smiled at the mirror's happiness. "I like the name Lethe." Severus said, not sure how exactly to address a mirror.

"As do I." Responded the mirror. "Would you like to see your past?" The mirror asked, excited to use its power for the first time. Severus thought for a moment and responded. "I don't believe there is much in my past for you to show me. Or at least nothing of interest. What about Dog? Can you show me Dog's past?" Severus asked. Watching a replay of his mother hitting him was not how he wanted to spend his first birthday ever.

"Show me the face of Dog and I will show you the hidden past within." The mirror bowed slightly, feigning seriousness. Severus turned the mirror to Dog, and Dog jumped away. "Its only a mirror you silly creature" Severus laughed, and when mirror had reflected the face of the dog it flashed once. Severus turned the mirror so that he could watch what played out. Dog crept up beside him, still cowering slightly, and the glass faded to black.


	9. Dog's Surprise

The images Severus saw next confused him. He saw his mother, the tall blond man he assumed was father... and a cowardly black haired man with a very large nose. The man kept his hair parted down the middle, and his eyes downcast. There was no sound. Mother screamed at father, and pointed at the black haired man. Father shouted back, his hands clenched into fists. Mother stormed around the room holding her head, father grabbed a table lamp and threw it at a wall.

It was a hotel room. Mother stormed up to father and yelled, her hand jabbing his chest with an accusing finger. Severus was glad he could only see their mouths move. Father grabbed mother by the shoulders. His face was red with anger, and the scowl had not left her face. Finally he kissed her, a violent venomous kiss. The mirror went to the black haired man who cowered in the corner and eventually hid under a desk, looking near tears.

The vision in the mirror became foggy until there was only blurs of color flashing past. Soon, clarity returned and Severus saw his mother preening her hair, his father pointing his wand between the eyes of the cowering time he could hear what the people in the mirror were saying. "Please don't kill me" Whined the man. The vision in the mirror flickered so that Severus wasn't looking at the cowering man. He was looking through the mans eyes. He was staring at the glowing tip of his fathers wand as it pointed directly at him.

Father looked at mother in question, and she only shrugged, returning to her makeup. "Do you like children?" Father asked the man, looking directly into Severus' eyes through the mirror. It sent a chill down his eyes to have the blond man stare at him with such venom. The image of his father bounced up and down and Severus assumed that the cowardly man was nodding.

"Then you will take care of this one. I've no time for it." Father said flicking his wand. The cowardly man howled in anguish, and then he only howled. Severus watched as a snout grew inside the bottom of the mirror as it grew from the mans face, and the color dripped out of the mirror. Only the color, the images remained... In shades of gray. Father spoke again "You will devote your life to caring for the child, and if you ever fail I will see to it that you receive the most terrible death ever known to man."

Father spat the words as though the taste of them made him sick... but for the first time Severus felt like his father actually cared for him. He may never have been there, but he did what he could to make sure he was safe... Severus' hand moved to brush an odd sensation from his cheek and found that he had been crying. He hadn't even noticed. The dog looked at him with its huge pitiful eyes, its ears drooping so far down they looked as though they would drip off.

The two only stared at each other, until Severus smiled. "Thank you." He said, his voice cracking unexpectedly. He had once read in a book that 'A father may have brought you into the world, but a dad is the one who raised you in it.' That may not have been the exact words... but it was close enough "Thank you for taking care of me... Dad." The dog panted happily and slapped a joyful tail against the ground.

"I'll find a way to turn you human again." Severus said, mentally paging through the potions he already knew that might help. The dog stopped panting and shook its head. Severus stared into the dogs eyes searching for meaning. "If you were a human again... They would kill you wouldn't they..." Severus said softly. The dog nodded. Severus sat and thought for a long time. The sun had fully set, and now moonlight grasped at the ground around him.

Still he thought, and though... "I've got it!" Severus shouted, leaping to his feet. Dog jumped to attention as well, poised as though Severus were holding a ball for him to fetch. "At Hogwarts I'm allowed one pet to keep me company!" Severus shouted to the lake in front of him. Then he looked down at the happily panting Dog. Severus slowly got down on his knees in front of Dog, and looked him in the eye.

"Dog... You have taken better care of me than my father ever could. You have been at my side no matter what, and you've even taken on Mum to keep me safe from injury... Will you do me the honor of accompanying me to school at Hogwarts this year?" Severus asked solemnly. Dog's mouth lolled open into the biggest grin he had ever seen. Quite suddenly Dog gave Severus' cheek a huge, wet, slobbering kiss of appreciation. "YEEAAGGHthpth" Severus shouted, wiping the slime off his face with his sleeve.

"All right, all right. I'll take that as a yes." Severus smiled at the dog for a moment, and then wrapped his arms around the creature. Dog leaned his head against Severus' shoulder. "We should go inside..." Severus grumbled. Then a thought popped into his head. "Hey... Would you like to help me prepare a new gift for Lily?" Severus asked. Dog panted excitedly and wagged his tail. Things would be very different know that he knew Dog was more than just an animal.


	10. In The End

~ Epilogue ~

Severus and Dog spent the rest of the year scheming together. With Dog's help, he created even better magical potions to bring to Lily. The flower potion never again bloomed with daisies .. but now Severus had an near unlimited supply of lily's. Severus and Lily went to Hogwarts together, but that is a story you already know. Severus told the Headmaster everything about Dog, and the creature was given special privileges about the castle as it was not truly an animal.

After his schooling, Severus became a part of the staff at Hogwarts. Dog remained unknown to most of his acquaintances as questions would arise if it was known how old he was. A fake death was held two years after Severus' teaching career started and Dog was declared to have died of natural causes at the ripe old age of 17. The Forbidden Forest hides so many things unknown to the rest of the world... and for many years was the sanctuary of Dog.

The magical mirror was buried in a chest for several decades, until the fateful day Severus was bitten by that dreadful snake. Technically he died that day, passing the power of the wand to the Dark Lord... but unknown to the rest of the world, a haggard old canine found him before it was too late. The old dog poured a curatio healing potion into his slightly parted lips, and lay by him until he stirred. When his breath returned the ancient animal drug him back through the dungeon side entrance that had been created specifically for the animal decades earlier.

Severus asked Dog to fetch the emergency unglamor potion he had hidden if he ever needed to vanish, and he was found later by a castle staff member. He was released from medical custody after feigning amnesia and was given a temporary stay at the castle. Severus used the magic mirror to explain all that had happened to Mcgonagall, who listened in shock. She had a new ID made for him at once, and she remained the only person aside from he and Dog who knew his true identity. Severus went on to explore the world, and eventually he even fell in love. Death changes ones heart vastly.

Dog chose to stay in the castle, as he had become to old to follow his adopted son on many of his travels. He was given refuge in Mcgonagall's office, and was treated with the greatest of respect. On occasion, Dog was requested by Mcgonagall to fetch necessary potions from Severus, as he was the only being who was kept informed of his whereabouts. Dog lived happily as a well known garbage disposal in the House Elf's kitchen.

A couple of times Dog stowed away on Severus'earlier expeditions, traveling the sights of the world. Until his age caught up to him. If you had asked him... He would have told you life was easier as a dog, and that he would have opted for the same life over again given the chance. He eventually passed on at the true age of 84, in the arms of his adopted son Severus in the office of his dear friend Mcgonagall. R.I.P. Dog.

~~ A/N: Please reply! I thrive on positive feedback. Every response will be taken under thoughtful consideration, and never glazed through. I'm unsure of what story to continue, so input would be appreciated. More tales of Dog, a Severus and Lily in schooling fic, maybe something from the eyes of another character completely... The possibilities are endless, and all ideas are up for consideration! ~~


End file.
